Mary Robinson

Mary Robinson (21 May 1944-) was President of Ireland from 3 December 1990 to 12 September 1997, succeeding Patrick Hillery and preceding Mary McAleese.

Biography
Mary Robinson was born in Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland in 1944, and she was educated at Trinity College Dublin, King's Inns Dublin, and Harvard University. Robinson initially pursued a legal career, becoming a barrister in 1967, and Reid professor of constitutional and criminal law at Trinity College Dublin from 1969 to 1975, and lecturer in European community law from 1975 to 1990. She was a Senator from 1969 to 1989. During the 1970s and 1980s, her legal career merged with interests in civil and social rights and greater European cooperation. In 1990, she was nominated by the Irish Labor Party for the presidency, for which she was elected against the establishment candidates nominated by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. This was widely interpreted as signalling a shift in Irish society against social, cultural, and economic conservatism, a shift which as President she tried to encourage further. In addition to encouraging social and civil reform, she attempted to raise the international profile of Ireland by increasing participation in mainly international forums. In 1997, she was appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, leaving office as President and serving until 12 September 2002. She then served as Oxfam's honorary president from 2002 until her retirement in 2012.